You already have a million things on your “to-do” list, and the last thing you need is one more task. You are trying to compete in a competitive market, and you are doing everything humanly possible to stay relevant as it relates to marketing your small business. But, there is one marketing strategy you’ve been avoiding like the plague because the idea of implementing this form of content marketing makes you sweat bullets. It’s blogging. Yes, I said the “B-word.”
Blogging is the one thing you know you need, but you make every excuse in the book to avoid launching a blog because of fear. You have a fear of writing. A fear of not being able to create good content. A fear of not having enough time to commit to writing to your blog. In your mind, your blog already sucks, and you haven’t even started writing yet. You have created 101 reasons why you do not need a blog, and I am here to give you 33 good reasons on why you need a blog and why you cannot afford Not to have a blog for your small business.
Now, wait before you go into shutdown mode. Do not close this blog post down. It is time we address this issue and help you get over this hurdle because blogging is not going anywhere. In fact, blogging is increasingly on the rise, and you are leaving money on the table because you don’t have a blog for your small business. By the end of this post, I promise you will dismiss the excuses you use to use and replace those ugly excuse with positive thoughts about your new blog. You will feel empowered to tackle your blog post with confidence.
So, first let’s dive into the reasons 20 blogging statistics from a few leading marketing research companies.
Now, you may have heard the statement, “Content is king.” Well, this is still very true in marketing your small business, and blogging is an effective way to build trust with customers, drive traffic to your website, and attract more customers to your business. Blogging should become one of your highest priorities this year for your small business if you want to grow your brand.
Before we jump into why you need a blog, it is essential for you to understand just how powerful blogging is to any business. Now, you may have witnessed the evolution of blogging over the years, but there are several key factors to highlight and few important stats to support why blogging can take your online presence to the next level.
First, businesses who blog receive more customer leads compared to companies who do not blog. Second, blogging can boost your SEO and provide your small business with high-quality leads through organic searches. Third, the longer the blog post with good quality content, the better your ranking performance with search engines. Forth, your small business can receive more long-term ROI with a quality blog than with typical traditional marketing efforts.
So, here are 20 specific statistics to help you shift what you think about blogging and start following in love with the idea of launching your new blog, today. Guess what, you can watch and read the remaining of this blog post because video content is becoming more popular on blogs, so we created a video for our blog statistics. The “20 Blogging Statistics You Should Know” video is an example how we are keeping up with the emerging blog trends.
Now, let’s get on to why you can’t afford not to blog. Here are 13 reasons to start stroking your keys as soon as you are finished reading this blog.
REASON #1: Business blogging is one of the most valuable marketing tools you can use to engage with customers.
Blogging is an excellent way to connect with your current and potential customers. Social media platforms just can’t measure up to blogging. Blogging is like your own personal Facebook, but better. You do not have all of the outside noise, and you connect with your customers on a personal level and create your blog post from a down-to-earth method. You can keep your customers in-the-know about your business’ latest product offerings or services, as well as pertinent industry information, news and more.
REASON #2: Blogging attracts new clients. According to HubSpot, 60% of businesses who blog acquire more customers. People are looking for solutions, and if you can answer questions about your target audience's problems through your blog, you can make some incredible magic. If you create good content, your blog post will spread like wildfire and blog posts will attract more new clients to your business.
REASON #3: Your competitors are doing, so don't let them outdo you.
It used to be if you did not have a website, you're behind the eight ball. Now, most business owners understand the importance of a website, but not all business owners understand the importance of a blog on their website. Take a look at your successful competitor's website. Check out their blog. Look at how many times their blog posts are shared. They are growing and making money. Your competitor's success is not solely because they blog, but trust me, their blog is bringing them business. They understand that there are people in the world who need their expertise and they are using the blog as a way to connect with their customers. And, guess what? You have something worth sharing too, so don't keep it to yourself. Spread your love online through your blog.
REASON #4: A blog takes you out of your comfort zone. It is so easy to become a comfortable business owner, especially when your business is earning money. You may settle for the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach because your business is growing. But, every business owner needs a new challenge. A blog will make you stretch out of comfort zone. You will challenge yourself to create better content and set higher goals for your writing. You will look for new ways to identify topics that connect with your clients.
REASON #5: A blog will help you become a stronger writer. Believe it or not – a blog will help you become a better writer. We live in the world where we can respond to people in under 130 characters. We abbreviate our words, and unless writing is a part of your everyday life – you may have weak writing skills. Writing is merely another form of communication. Writing helps you record your thoughts on paper, or your computer and writing gives you an opportunity to share your views with others. In order to perfect your writing, you will need to practice writing. Let’s face it- just because you are not in school and there are no demands on you to write means, you abandon this skill. If you love what you do, you will learn to love to write about what you love to do too.
REASON #6: Blogging positions your brand as a leader in your industry. If you want to become a successful blogger, you must keep up with the latest industry news, trends, and technology. You can position your business as the "go-to" website for the news and tools your customers can use.
REASON #7: Blogs are an inexpensive marketing tool. Writing a blog will cost you time. If you take time to write, your blog will yield a profit. When you write a shareable blog post, the post can market your brand for years. You can build brand awareness, promote your products or services, and more through your blog.
REASON #8: You can share the story behind your brand. A blog is a great place to
offer more insight into your company, philosophy, employees, and ideas. Tell your customers why you’re in business and how you can help them.
REASON #9: A blog builds trust. Customers will look to you as a reliable resource for information on your industry; then come to you to buy.
REASON #10: Your blog can get your business some free PR. Did you know that journalists love interviewing industry experts? Did you know if you manage a good business blog you could attract some press for your business? If you are an industry expert, what better way to share your knowledge than on your blog. You can get your brand noticed and not pay a cent for PR. Yes, you can get your PR for FREE, baby!
REASON #11: A blog will help you understand your target audience. Your blog will provide you with insight into how your target audience is responding to the post you create through blog analytics. You can view click-throughs, look at your shares and comments as well as determine your favored blog topics. Your blog data can reveal how often your website visitors are viewing your blog even down to the most popular day of the week they prefer to view your blog posts.
REASON #12: Your blog can boost your SEO. When you have good valuable content, major search engines, like Google and Bing will show you love and reward your efforts. Search engines love to crawl fresh content, especially high-quality content. You can dust keywords throughout your blog post as well as in your blog post title, but do not get spammy with your keywords. If you overload your blog posts with keywords, you may hurt your ranking because major search engines frown on spammy behavior.
REASON #13: Your rules. Your space. Your domain. Your website is your business’ universe. You can control the message and keep out distractions from competitors. Unlike, social media platforms, your blog offers a place where your website visitors can focus on the information presented without being lured to explore other topics, products, etc. Your blog is your place to shine a light on your brand, and you can control the tone of the page, the message, and the conversations that take place on your blog.
Now, you have more than enough reasons to launch your blog. As I stated earlier in this blog post, “starting a blog will require you to step out of your “comfort zone,” but you will eventually see the fruits of your hard labor. Try not to set high goals for yourself in the beginning. Set small goals and challenge yourself more as your confidence grows in your blogging.
Here is my final blogging tip. You do not have to take this blogging adventure alone. You can invite other professionals to join you on your blogging quests. Identify experts who complement the goals and vision of your company. Invite them to write for your blog in exchange you can allow them to promote their products and services within their blog posts. This type of collaboration removes the stress of writing weekly blog posts from you and provides you with fresh quality content for your blog.
Let us know when you have launched your blog, so we can check out what you have created and provide you with the valuable feedback you can use. > Submit Your Blog